Jan Brewer opposes Gang of 8 bill

Ariz. Gov. Jan Brewer said in an interview published Monday that she opposes the Gang of Eight’s comprehensive immigration reform bill because the U.S.’ southern border remains porous.

“If they were to call me today, that’s a hypothetical, but if they were to call me today, I would say ‘Our border is not secure,’” Brewer told Yahoo! and ABC News’ “Power Players.” “And I would not be in a position to support their measure.”

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Brewer rose to national prominence after passing what has been billed as the toughest immigration law in the country. President Barack Obama’s administration challenged the law in court, resulting in the Supreme Court striking down three key provisions of the Arizona law last year.

“We need more fencing, secure fencing,” she said. “We need electronic equipment, drones, surveillance cameras. I think we need more boots on the ground, and they should be closer to the border and away from the border to protect us.”

The Gang of Eight’s proposed legislation would spend billions of dollars aiming to secure the border, adding drones and border patrol officers. The Department of Homeland Security would be required to apprehend 90 percent of border-crossers in “high-risk” areas.

But conservatives oppose the measure, fearing the federal government won’t follow through on securing the border after the nation’s estimated 11 million illegal immigrants are given a temporary form of legal status.